Park or Freeride

When I was younger, I used to be a full-on park rat but now as I get older I start to realize that skiing is about so much more than park laps. I would definitely describe myself as a freerider now as I rarely do 2 laps in a row of park and love hitting those natural kickers, cliffs and carving on those big blues.

I ride on skis only because of the style in the park, this is what attracts me, otherwise I would pass by.
Rals White, Jake Carney.. one of the few who ride really stylishly.
As for powder, I think that snowboarding is more fun than skiing.

I was a 100% park rat in high school but when I got to college none of the friends I skied with skied park so in a season I completely switched to ripping the whole mountain and boosting airs and 3's on side hits -- even when I rip through the park now I can't bring myself to do any more than straight slides and carving threes. So fun

take what you can get... meaning given wherever you have access to ride, go ski whatever is the most challenging and fun. if you only have a 800 vert hill to ride, you're gonna do the same park laps over and over. If you have a decent mountain with a variety of terrain to explore, take advantage of that and don't limit yourself to a few cool runs

I agree with the whole "take what you can get" type of thing. But I also agree with I'd rather take a dope pow day over a dope park day.

This reminds me of me starting park riding though - I'd always ski with two of my friends and they would only ride in the park with me occasionally (I had a knack for basic tricks from my skateboarding background). Since I'd always ride with them I never got a chance to develop my park skills much until later.

Since my story was kind of dumb and pointless just fugggin ski and do whatever is fun

I will save park for spring warm days. theres to much mountain to explore the rest of the season Imo. id rather hunt for pow or boosters and cliffs all day than ski park. I'll ski park on a warm spring day when I'm tired of searching for new things.

SegsxiMe too, don't get me wrong pow skiing is pretty rad but powder and snowboard go together like bees and knees

I've been toying with buying a pow board as I am pretty decent at boarding.....i just don't know if I could commit myself to not sending as hard on a pow day because I just cant board at the same level as skis.

JohnJonsztake what you can get... meaning given wherever you have access to ride, go ski whatever is the most challenging and fun. if you only have a 800 vert hill to ride, you're gonna do the same park laps over and over. If you have a decent mountain with a variety of terrain to explore, take advantage of that and don't limit yourself to a few cool runs

It escapes me how more people don't realize that this is 100% the way it goes. Most "Park Rats" who ride 100% park live somewhere that the mountains are worthless. I literally do not think I have ever met someone who lives at a major ski resort on the west coast who chooses to skip out on pow days to ride park. That is just silly.

Growing up skiing Michigan, being a park rat was basically the only option. Unless you go up to Bohemia, there is no real back country terrain or reputable pow stashes in the state. So, if you want a challenge and a way to progress when you go ski, rails and shitty park jumps are basically the only option. One can only ski down a 400' vertical slope covered in ice for so long before it becomes extremely easy and in turn boring.

humptyPow over Park
I enjoy taking some groomer laps throughout a park day. Love me some mobbin

It's crazy how obsessed with snow everyone is there. I was hanging out in Escobar one night, and these well dressed jersey shore looking dudes kept coming up to me and asking if I knew where to find snow.